Updated and used by NAI with permission, October 2013
Knowing Your Audience – Maslow
Suzanne Zgraggen
In 1954 Abraham Maslow came up with a hierarchy of needs. You
can only reach the higher needs if the lower needs are already met.
Your audience has “high” and “low” needs you can meet in your
program.
The higher they get on the pyramid, the more they will learn.
Self-
Actualization
Esteem Needs
Belonging Needs
Safety Needs
Physiological Needs
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums did a study of their guests to determine what
people are looking for during their zoo visit.
[Put each reason on a separate piece of paper, and have the class work together to put
them in order from most important to least important. Hang the papers on the board or
on the wall.]
Our top ten list on the wall represents how we would like to view our audience. Let’s see
how our list compares to the actual order. [Go through their list and rearrange the
answers into the correct order. They will be surprised!]
Zoo Guests’ Top 10
1. Have fun
2. Feel welcome
3. Family time
4. Feel safe
5. Act like a kid
6. People watch
7. Try different foods
8. Go on rides
Updated and used by NAI with permission, October 2013
9. Take care of the planet
10. Learn about endangered animals
What do you notice about this list? Concerns such as safety and belonging to a group
are near the top, and things like learning are at the bottom. How does this list compare
to Maslow’s hierarchy? The things the guests ranked as most important are near the
bottom of the pyramid – the most basic needs. Unless your program can meet these
basic needs, the guests are not going to work their way down their list to get to the
learning.
It’s important to remember that your audience may not always make it to the top of the
pyramid. If they do make it to the top, they may not stay there. But it’s important to keep
your audience climbing, or they will not reach the level where they can really learn from
you and reach the “self-actualization.”
Let me tell you a story. Two years ago, I attended an environmental education
conference held at a nature center. The first day of the conference, there was a session
on Maslow’s hierarchy, which is particularly important when taking children (or adults)
out into nature. On the second day, I attended a workshop where a nature center
employee took us out onto the property to model an elementary-school field trip
program. Before we left the nature center, she told us that we would be following the
path on a loop, and would be returning in about an hour and a half. She let us know that
we should use the bathrooms before we left, because there would not be any out along
the trail.
We set out along the trail, enjoying being third-graders for a day. We went into a tree
fort, looked for deer, tried putting different leaves and sticks in the pond to see what
would float, and enjoyed the beautiful fall weather. About an hour into our walk,
however, one member of the class became distracted. She had to go to the bathroom.
As we walked, she began checking her watch more and more often, and straining to
see the nature center buildings in the distance. Finally, she turned to her friend. “I’ve got
to go;” she said, “I’ve fallen off the pyramid!”
She hurried back to the nature center, used the restroom, and was able to rejoin the
group.
Yes, it was me.
The nature center program was very fun and educational. The audience felt comfortable
with each other, were aware of how long the walk would be, and were having a good
time. None of that mattered, however, when physiological needs – from the bottom of
the pyramid – reared their head. Without having my most basic needs met, I wasn’t able
to listen to the guide or remember what we were learning about.
Updated and used by NAI with permission, October 2013
So how can we keep our audience climbing the pyramid? Page 18 of the CIG manual
has a chart broken into 8 levels. Using a program you might do at your facility, fill in the
chart with things you might do to help your audience keep climbing the pyramid.
[You may want to do one together as a class, first.]
Remember, Maslow’s hierarchy is really simple. If people feel at ease and comfortable,
they will be able to learn and retain more of the information you are trying to give them.